"The Guzmán family isn't over. The cartel remains strong and operational. The news has already been confirmed, highlighting the names of El Guano, Los Chapitos, and all their crew, fully backed by El Mayo," can be heard in the first verse of a narcocorrido that Los Tucanes de Tijuana dedicated to Aureliano Guzmán Loera in 2022, better known as "El Guano," the older brother of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
Though less famous internationally than his notorious sibling, El Guano is seen as a crucial player in the factional infighting that has torn the Sinaloa Cartel apart and halted life in Culiacán since the second week of September, with citizens terrified of a violence wave that has left more than 80 people dead, according to official figures.
Who Is El Guano?
Aureliano "El Guano" has been involved in the Sinaloa Cartel for years, though he has remained in the shadows compared to his brother. According to reports from Mexican and U.S. authorities, El Guano has been responsible for overseeing drug production and trafficking in remote areas of the Sinaloa mountains, particularly in the regions of Badiraguato, where the cartel's roots are deeply entrenched.
While El Chapo became the public face of the cartel's rise, El Guano was an essential part of the family's drug empire in the background. He is also the leader of his faction within the Sinaloa Cartel called "Gente del Guano" (GDG), whose security chief, given the alias Luis "N." or "R8," was taken into custody in July.
The Sinaloa Cartel's Internal War: Los Chapitos vs. El Mayo
The internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel began to intensify after El Chapo's arrest and extradition to the United States in 2017. With El Chapo behind bars, his sons, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, Jesús Alfredo Guzmán, and Ovidio Guzmán, collectively known as "Los Chapitos," have fought to maintain their father's legacy and control over the cartel's operations. However, this has placed them at odds with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a co-founder of the cartel and one of its most powerful leaders.
El Mayo, who now sits in a New York jail cell, was the leader of the largest faction fighting against Los Chapitos, La Mayiza. Joaquín Guzmán López and his brother Ovidio are also under federal custody.
Since El Mayo and Joaquin's capture in July, Sinaloa has been engulfed in a wave of violence while the two factions battle for control.
El Guano's Conflicting Allegiances
It was initially reported that despite their differences, El Guano had changed his loyalty from El Mayo to Los Chapitos, in the power struggle within the Sinaloa Cartel. In fact, despite reports of hostility between El Guano and his nephews, it seems that they had arrived at a truce after the death of El Guano and El Chapo's mother, María Consuelo Loera Pérez, in December of last year.
El Mayo's capture (allegedly orchestrated by Los Chapitos) ended that truce, and the fighting started again. According to a list of El Mayo's allies compiled by the Mexican Ministry of National Defense and published by Mexican newspaper Milenio, El Guano has sided with La Mayiza, reportedly assembling a group of sicarios he named "El Cartel del Guano" to help fight his nephews.
El Guano's support is considered crucial by experts, as he controls significant drug production zones in the mountainous regions of Sinaloa, which are vital for the cartel's cocaine and heroin trafficking routes, as well as being considered an essential member of the cartel by the U.S. State Department, which is offering $5 million for information that will lead to his arrest.
In the meantime, the violence has left over 80 people dead and dozens more missing in Culiacán and nearby towns within just 16 days, according to data provided by Mexican media. The confrontations have paralyzed the city, with burned vehicles, shootings, and armed blockades being reported across multiple areas.
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